Devil Trigger

Devil Trigger (often abbreviated as D.T.) is a special power possessed by demons and demonic hybrids which allows them to release their full supernatural potential. While in Devil Trigger, the user will assume their true form. In this form, many of the character's physical and magical attributes are amplified, and the character may have access to upgrades or even additions to their normal abilities like flying or hovering. When playing on higher difficulties, enemies can enter a Devil Trigger-like state after a certain time limit (which is fixed for each enemy). This causes enemies to strengthen their attributes as well as making them attack more often and more powerful.

Recurring Features
While in Devil Trigger, the characters' speed and strength increase, and they constantly recuperate vitality. Characters also gain deeper voices. Additional effects are apparent, though these vary between games, and are usually determined by the equipped weapons or items of the character. For example, Dante will usually gain the ability to hover while in Devil Trigger, but this is obtained by equipping the Alastor in Devil May Cry, the Aerial Heart in Devil May Cry 2, and Nevan in Devil May Cry 3.

Devil Trigger is confirmed to be available to Dante, Sparda, Lucia, Trish, Vergil and Nero. Several other characters, specifically Arkham, Credo, Agnus and Sanctus have abilities resembling Devil Trigger, though it is not known if it is actually the same term.

In Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4, activating Devil Trigger causes enemies to take damage and consequently interrupt what they were doing. In Devil May Cry 3, the explosion can be charged by holding down until the chosen number of Devil Trigger runes glow, and then releasing the button. Interestingly in Devil May Cry 4, Dante's DT activation doesn't deliver any damage. Also, when activating Devil Trigger, the character is granted temporary invincibility.

In all but the second game, it is possible to unlock "Super" costumes for the playable characters, whose most prominent feature is their unlimited Devil Trigger. This allows the character to stay in Devil form indefinitely, taking advantage of the power, defense, and speed boosts, but negates the Devil Trigger's ability to heal. (an exception being Super Dante in the original game and Super Legendary Dark Knight and Super Corrupt Vergil, which still retain all devil trigger abilities without losing any runes.) In Devil May Cry 4, the Super costume also reduces the mission rating by a certain percentage when used.

Devil Trigger Gauge
The Devil Trigger Gauge, often abbreviated as D.T. Gauge, shows how much demonic energy the character has. It acts as a power bank, storing demonic energy to be released later. The Devil Trigger Gauge can be seen below the Vitality Gauge, and is represented as a line of runes. In all games the gauge appears as separate symbols, except for Devil May Cry 2 where it is represented as a bar. Most of the time, the player starts with only the necessary three runes to power their demonic form, though at least one exception does exist. The player can extend the D.T Gauge by buying Purple Orbs, allowing them to maintain their form for a longer period of time.

The primary purpose of the DT Gauge is to activate and sustain the Devil Trigger state. The amount of time the user can stay in Devil Trigger is determined by the length of the Devil Trigger Gauge. At least three runes must be filled in order to enter Devil Trigger. Once Devil Trigger is engaged, energy is drained from the gauge until the DT form is cancelled, either voluntarily or when the gauge runs out of energy.

The Devil Trigger Gauge is usually filled by attacking enemies, although it can also be filled by Taunting, raising the Stylish Rank, utilizing Devil Stars, or standing on special platforms appearing in select locations in Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2. It is also possible to increase the gauge by taking damage in most games, though this is much riskier.

Some techniques, weapons, items, and even enemies also deplete the gauge. The Bangle of Time and Quicksilver Style slow down time so that enemies move slower, but constantly reduce the D.T. gauge while in effect. Also, the Doppelganger Style slowly drains the gauge while in use. Using advanced Summoned Swords techniques as Vergil will also deplete the gauge. Some combat techniques, such as Stinger and Kick 13 in Devil May Cry 4 use part of the DT gauge to become more powerful. The Nightmare-Beta consumes Devil Trigger when fired. Certain enemies, such as Nightmare and Nobodies, possess attacks that in addition to harming the player drains the Devil Trigger Gauge as well.

Items affecting Devil Trigger
The Haywire Neo-Generator from Devil May Cry 3 causes Dante to constantly lose his Vitality in exchange for an infinite Devil Trigger that cannot be turned off. The Untouchable from Devil May Cry causes the player to become invulnerable while putting him into DT state for a short period of time.

Enemies
On the hardest mode in all games, Dante Must Die, enemies can use Devil Trigger. When engaging the form, anytime when they're fought, they glow a dark, firery aura and eyes glow red. As this form, they are given augmented damage, vitality and will be hard to fall to the ground.

In Devil May Cry 3 the aim in Mission 6 is to overcome three trials of the Temen-ni-gru, the Trial of Wisdom, the Trial of Skill, and the Trial of the Warrior. The latter will consist of a long fight with demons in their Devil Trigger state, no matter the mode. However, their Devil Trigger can be temporarily disabled by unlocking seals on the walls.

In Devil May Cry 4, demonic bosses have a "Desperation Mode", similar to Devil Trigger, when they are low on health. However, it seems to be something separate from normal enemy Devil Trigger, as it appears on all modes. Effects of it vary for each boss;
 * Echidna starts to glow a bright gold aura, her "dragon phase" becomes vulnerable for a timed Buster and she starts throwing her seeds around during several moves.
 * Bael turns purple-red, his ice starts to regenerate faster when destroyed, and his tongue will be immune to firearm shots.
 * Dagon has the same effects as Bael.
 * Berial glows purple-red flames which are difficult to disperse and his attacks will be imbued with fire.

Dante
Dante's exact Devil Trigger form changes throughout the series, though it seems to resemble his father more strongly as the series progresses (although in Devil May Cry 2 & onwards his normal Devil Trigger seems to resemble his human attire, most notably his longcoat). In Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3, the appearance of the Devil Trigger form is dependent on the Devil Arm the character is wielding at the time of assumption, while in other games Dante will possess one or two default forms assumed to be his "true" forms. For more information on how Dante obtains Devil Trigger and detailed differences in each game, see below.

Devil May Cry
Alastor=
 * -|Ifrit =
 * -|Sparda =

In Devil May Cry, Dante cannot use his Devil Trigger until he obtains his first Devil Arm, Alastor. Unlike in Devil May Cry 3, his demonic forms are mature appearances of the Demon whose power he is channelling; Alastor, Ifrit, and even Sparda. However, although his Demonic aura manifests in Sparda's form at several points in the story, he is not able to use Devil Trigger with the Sword of Sparda until he goes up against Mundus. Unlike in later games, Dante appears as a human surrounded by the weapon's aura while in Devil Trigger, and only takes on a demonic form while attacking.

In the aerial battle with Mundus, Dante has unlimited access to his father's demon form and fires red, Meteor-like energy balls, and uses Vortex for melee and evasion. He can also summon an enormous dragon at the expense of the energy is the Devil Trigger gauge.

Dante
In Devil May Cry 2 Dante can transform into his Demonic form from the very beginning, and it is also unaffected by the weapon he has equipped. However, he can modify its abilities using the Amulet item. Although this demonic form has a more matured appearance compared to the one used in Devil May Cry 3, it has not quite reached its final state. However, Dante can sometimes access that state, his Majin Form, if he activates his Devil Trigger while at critical health. Dante's Majin Form strongly resembles his father's Demonic form, as well as his brother's "Nelo Angelo" form, but its wings are reptilian/chiropteran, rather than insectoid. While Dante is in this form, he has complete invulnerability.

Lucia
Lucia transforms into an angel-bird hybrid, with her whole body covered with white feathers. She is able to shoot these feathers as a ranged weapon, several at once. When in Devil Trigger form Lucia's swords will be replaced by blades made of pure elemental energy, its elemental attributes changing depending on which of the Attribute Devil Heart's she has equipped. This also affects her projectiles as well, imbuing them with the same elemental abilities as the energy swords when in this form.

Secretary
The Secretary's D.T. is exactly like Lucia's, but is violet in color with a black body coloration, making her resemble a fallen angel, or at least a crow.

Trish
Trish's Devil Trigger has no physical changes, aside from only gaining a yellow aura more strikingly than the demon enemie's own in Dante must Die. Anytime n the D.T., Trish dons her sunglasses.

Super Mode
Devil May Cry 2 lacks "Super" costumes, but the HD Collection release allows the player to input a code to grant them access to indefinite Devil Trigger. Once the "Must Die Mode" is completed for a specific character, Super Mode can be activated when selecting a mission or the Bloody Palace. Hold +++ while selecting the game mode, then continue holding them while also holding to select a stage. All five buttons should be held until the stage starts, at which point the Devil Trigger activation sound will play. While in Super Mode, Devil Trigger will not heal the player character, nor can Dante use his Majin Form.

Devil May Cry 3
In Devil May Cry 3, Dante gains the ability to Devil Trigger after his first fight with Vergil. After losing to his brother, Dante is impaled with Rebellion. His blood awakens his demon power and he is able to transform, and becomes much more powerful. Dante's demonic forms are quite humanoid, though its exact features, its general facial structure, cranial crest and the fins on its back vary with the weapon he has equipped.

Rebellion
Dante's Rebellion Devil Trigger has red and black colors like his attire, he gains traits, such as his long hair morphing into a tusk-like crest, his coat tails replaced with a pair of almost bat-like wings that attaches to his rear hip area that will stiffen in airborne or function like his usual coat, he will gain two fin-like organs have his coat's tabs apart of it to white tabs, he will have his skin on his chest cavity exposed, and noticeably gain a red, vapor-like aura.

Cerberus
Dante's Cerberus Devil Trigger is mainly red with a blue glowing skeletal system, he has a pair of vertical wings that are different than the first demonic form that Dante's primary weapon gave him, he gains a cranial crest that points up and to the side which the boney points underneath it points at as well and he has a cyan, vapor-like aura. Engaging this form, Dante has augmented speed compared to other Devil Trigger forms

Agni & Rudra
Dante's Agni & Rudra Devil Trigger is mainly red and with orange on his right side, and greenish-blue his left side, which symbolizes the sword's colors that bestow it, Dante now has many spikes on his body, and will glow an orange, vapor-like aura. Dante has a boost in the fire and wind elements, thus, gaining more damage upon foes.

Nevan
Dante's Nevan Devil Trigger is red and purple and has many features, such as backward pointed sleeves, a Y-shapped purple glowing symbol on his chest, a facial structure that resembles a horned helmet, retains the wings from Rebellion's demon form, but in airborne, it gives a different flight ability, and gives a purple, vapor-like aura. Dante is bestowed benefits, including faster health regeneration when using this form.

Beowulf
Dante's Beowulf Devil Trigger is red with white glowing streams, derived from the veins on the weapon, has a pair of wings that are like the Cerberus form, he has a revealed chest that the black skin shows up on, has a different facial feature from Cerberus's which the form resembles alot like, and he gains a white, vapor-like aura. In this form, Dante has increased defense.

Doppelganger & Quicksilver
When Dante has the Doppelganger Style or Quicksilver Style equipped, he can still use his Devil Trigger, but must share the Devil Trigger gauge with the abilities of the two styles.

Vergil
Vergil's Devil Trigger is first seen during his second battle with Dante, in the Lair of Judgment, although in the Special Edition, it can be used from the beginning when playing as him. Like Dante, Vergil's demonic form retains the same basic shape of a blue, reptilian humanoid, with minor variations depending on the weapon equipped. Also, while Vergil's Yamato demon form has traits somewhat like Dante's Rebellion demon form, he does have white tips on the end of his wings and has his upward spiked hair turning into a crest. However, unlike Dante, Vergil does not have exposed "ribs."

Beowulf
Vergil's Beowulf Devil Trigger is blue with white energy streams. Vergil has a few features different from Dante's Beowulf demon form, such as his wings that moved up and vertically split into four pairs, rather than two, and retaining the blue "coat". It is of note that if he activates D.T, its sound will be the same as the basic enemy Devil Triggering in DMC3's Dante Must Die mode.

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series
In the anime, Dante never revealed to fully incorporate his demonic form. However, during his final battle with the demon Abigail, the two clash in mid-air and Dante unleashes his full power, which in the process, makes his eyes glow red and his voice become deeper (a recurring effect of Devil Trigger). This event causes an explosion on the area, leaving Sid in his weakened state. This could also be an effect of the Majin form.

Dante
In Devil May Cry 4, Dante is able to transform into his demonic form in his very first appearance, in which he is attacked by Nero, and it is unaffected by the weapon he has equipped. This demonic form is very reptilian; it gives a reptile-looking appearance to Dante's arms and legs, his head seems to produce spiky edges, there are cracks on his chest, and his coat appears to separate into three parts that are shaped much like an insect's wings. He is much more powerful in this form, attacking with greater force and speed, firing magically charged shots from his guns, infusing some of his attacks with extra demonic energy to enhance the move at the cost of instantly consuming part of his DT gauge: namely, Stinger (which covers a greater area and drills through enemies), Kick 13 (which has much more kicks and ends with two rising kicks) and Pin-up (which pulls twice as much blades). Dante also becomes able to use Air Hike and Sky Star twice in one jump to gain greater altitude and aerial distance before falling. He also becomes extremely resistant to knockbacks, and receives much less damage from attacks. In other words, most attacks that hit him will not interrupt his attacks; therefore any skills that require charging (particularly Gilgamesh) will continue despite his taking damage. However, some strong moves (like Berial's flame pillar attack) can still knock him off balance.

Nero
Nero, the main protagonist of Devil May Cry 4, also receives a Devil Trigger. He gains his Devil Trigger in Mission 6 after defeating Agnus. While Nero demands answers from the scientist, Agnus’s servants, the Bianco Angelos, catch him unaware and impale him with their lances. Agnus then tells Nero of his plans, and stabs him once more with a Gladius. Nero almost fades away, but suddenly remembers a moment from his past. Kyrie was endangered, and Nero, in despair, cried out to her. He awakens, resurrects and claims Yamato and enters his DT state.

When activated, it seems to resemble a translucent shadow of a demon that that floats behind Nero. The demon has "sheath" attached to its left arm, which holds in Yamato when not in use. Nero himself, gains burning red eyes, and a deeper, echoing voice He also gains a smoky, blue aura that pulsates with an intensity relevant to the amount of Exceed Nero has charged. At a full charge, each pulse releases a small, black smoky aura.

In terms of combat, Nero's Red Queen attack will be accompanied by the demon using a right-handed version of the attack, his Buster will have more gruesome animations and deal more damage, he will also use Summoned Swords every time he fires his pistol. While in his Devil Trigger state he is also granted limited use to the Yamato while in combat. Unfortunately (and unlike Dante), while in Devil Trigger, Nero can and will be stunned by any attack, even those from weak demons such as a Scarecrow.

At first, the creators of the game were going to give Nero an actual demon form, closely resembling the ghostly blue demon behind him when he uses his Devil Trigger, but decided to stay with the translucent form. When the game was released, they included a book filled with character references, one of them being Nero's original Devil Trigger.

Trish
Trish is capable of using Devil Trigger. However she only gains a golden aura while donning her sunglasses, much like her Devil May Cry 2 incarnation. When in this state she gains access to faster attack speed, heightened attack strength, and her health slowly regenerates.

Vergil
Vergil's Devil Trigger is similar in appearance and function to the one in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. It also retains the function from Devil May Cry 3 that allows his Devil Trigger to change forms depending on the Devil Arm he is using. While in Devil Trigger, Vergil's power and speed are drastically increased and his attacks gain additional properties that make them stronger (like Rapid Slash, which can be canceled into itself and embeds Summoned Swords into enemies that explode after Vergil sheathes Yamato), while he also gains a slow health regeneration. Some of his moves are only usable while in Devil Trigger, like Judgement Cut End and two additional hits at the end of Yamato Combo A. Like Dante, he can spend part of his Devil Trigger Gauge to increase the power of some of his moves, namely Stinger (which covers a far greater area and drills through enemies) and Lunar Phase (which ends with a Rising Sun-esque pair of kicks if used in the ground, and has far more spins if used in the air).

DmC: Devil May Cry
Like in Devil May Cry 4, the Devil Trigger of DmC: Devil May Cry varies starkly between its two users, Dante and Vergil. While it grants both of them health regeneration, greater strength, and the ability to ignore the invulnerability of color-coded enemies, Dante's Devil Trigger focuses on slowing the flow of time and tossing lesser demons into the air, while Vergil's Devil Trigger focuses on generating a doppelganger that can either mimic Vergil's actions or act on its own. Devil Trigger is powered by a meter that fills when dealing damage, and quickly depletes while Devil Trigger is active. When activated, a small chunk of the meter is always consumed, and will disappear even if DT is prematurely ended. However, after that initial burst, the meter will drain at a slower pace.

For a still unknown reason, Dante and Vergil are unable to enter Devil Trigger if they lose the pendants their mother Eva gave them.

Dante


's Devil Trigger in the DmC universe is different from the DT of the numbered games. In this state, Dante uses what resembles a modified version of the Quicksilver Style, slowing down time and causing the world to be flooded with flowing light. Instead of transforming into a demon, Dante's hair flushes white, while the sclera of his eyes and his coat glow with a blood red aura. In addition to this, he leaves fiery red footprints whenever he touches the ground.

At the beginning of a Devil Trigger, all minor enemies are launched into the air where they float prone, allowing Dante to unleash a flurry of aerial combos. Against bosses, however, additional different combat options can be accessed by using Devil Trigger, like new grapple points becoming available, or slowing down the boss' attacks.

Vergil


is also capable of Devil Trigger, which he can perform so long as he possesses his pendant. Although his Devil Trigger increases his power, speed, and Vitality regeneration like Dante's, Vergil's Devil Trigger illuminates him within a ghostly blue aura, and focuses on generating a shadowy doppelganger rather than slowing time. Vergil is able to cause a delay between his attacks and the doppelganger's responses, as well as to force the Doppelganger to work within a certain movelist; from its default black state in which it copies Vergil's moves exactly, it can be changed to a white state that uses the standard versions of his techniques, a blue state that uses the Angel versions, and a red state that uses the Demon versions. During both gameplay and cutscenes, Vergil activates his Devil Trigger by plunging Yamato into the ground.

However, as noted by Kat, the continuous use of this power seems to slowly devour the Nephilim's humanity, little by little transforming them from the inside by the vast amounts of demonic energy they are channeling. As evidenced by Dante who was nearly going to kill his own brother if not stopped by Kat, and when Vergil saved his own mother from torture just to tell her that he didn't have a heart anymore.

Viewtiful Joe
The spirit of the Alastor Devil Arm appears as Blade Master Alastor in Viewtiful Joe where he has his own Devil Trigger.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3
In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Dante can activate the Devil Trigger as a Hyper Combo that lasts for 10 seconds, increasing the damage he can deal by 15% and granting him minor health regeneration. The Rebellion Devil Trigger is used for the model, though the Sparda Devil Trigger is used instead with Dante's DLC Costume for the game. Dante can perform two of Nevan's techniques in DT mode, and gains the ability to fly. He also gains a third jump added to his double jump, and gains the ability to dash twice in the air before landing. Dante can also tag out to keep his Devil Trigger effect permanent, unless tagged back in. Plus, his sound clips are only limited to deep roars and his taunt has no dialogue until it wears off. This appears to be a throwback to Ragna the Bloodedge's Blood Kain Distortion Drive from Blazblue, as Ragna is somewhat based on Dante.

Vergil also uses Devil Trigger as a Level 1 Hyper Combo and although it does not allow him any new special moves like Dante, if the player has a remaining three bars of HC Gauge they may activate Dark Angel. This Hyper Combo shows Vergil slashing the opponent while Summoned Swords accumulate in the background. Finally, he returns back to his human form and sheathes Yamato as the Swords pierce the enemy. This is the only move in the game that requires four HC Gauges total (including the transformation) and is the stronger Hyper Combo in the game, taking 610,000 points off of the opponent's health. The ability also increases his damage output by 20%, enables minor health regeneration, increases the size of the hitboxes on a few of his moves, gives him an air dash, and gives him a double jump.

Despite having the ability during Devil May Cry 2, Trish does not have any Devil Trigger in the game.

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
's Devil Trigger operates identically to in DmC: Devil May Cry; upon activation, Dante's hair changes white and his coat is stained blood-red, although the veins on his face do not pop. Meanwhile, the scenery fades into monochrome and enemies float helplessly in mid-air until they are attacked, and are killed with only one hit. It is useful to use your guns as they have long range.

Development
The Devil Trigger forms seen in Devil May Cry 3 were designed by Kazuma Kaneko, a character designer for who designed the characters and demons for the Shin Megami Tensei series. This was done as part of a deal to have Dante included as a cameo in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, as Kaneko is a big fan of the Devil May Cry series.

The Devil May Cry 4 Devil's Material Collection showcases a handful of concept sketches of Devil Trigger for both Dante and Nero. Concepts for the former notably include both wings and a tail whilst the latter shows a full devil form that bears many similarities to Vergil's Yamato Devil Trigger, including a claw-like sheath on the arm and wing-like coattails.